Safety-gage for liquids.



No. 766,996. PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904. G. A. HARVEY.

SAFETY GAGE POR LIQUIDS. APPLIUATION FILED lJUNI: 11, 1903.

'N0 MODEL.

, have invented certain new and useful Improvetion with the body ofliquid whose height the gage is desired and then only by the positiveliquid.

NTE` STATES Patented August 9, 190% PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. HARVEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ACME GASCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FOR LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of iLetters Patent No. 766,996, dated August9, 1904.

Application filed June l1, 1903.

To /LZZ wh/0771. 'llt 'nt/.ty con/cern.:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. HARVEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

ments in Safety-Gages for Liquids, of which the following is aspeciiication.

This invention relates to liquid-gages, and refers particularly to agage arranged to be normally out of communication with the main body ofthe liquid.

Gages as heretofore constructed usually have a direct and uninterruptedcommunicagage is intended to indicate. The indicating portion of thegage commonly is of glass, and thus may be and frequently is broken bysudden changes in temperature or by accidental blows. If the liquidwithin the gage is inflammable, a small lire in proximity to the glassmay break the gage and open communication with the interior of thereceptacle, permitting the escape of the oil from the receptacle to theflames. On account of the fragility of such gages the rules adopted bymany boards of underwriters forbid their use.

The object of this invention is the production of a safety-gage thatshall be in communication with the liquid whose height it is intended toindicate only when a reading of the act of the operator. In thisinstance the gage is provided with means for automatically closing itand cutting ed communication between the indicator of the gage and thebody of In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a View illustratingthe application of this gage to one of the tanks of a carburetor. Fig. 2is a longitudinal vertical section through the gage mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, l indicates the carbureter-tank; 2, anoil-pipe communicating' with the interior of said tank to supply it withoil; 3, an air pipe leading from a suitable blower or air-compressor(not shown) to a point within the carbureter-tank near the bottomthereof, and l an escape-pipe for the gas.

(No model.)

In the side of the tank l and respectively above and below the normallevel of the liquid therein are two openings 5, interiorly screw-threadwed for attaching to the tank l the gage to be next described. In theembodiment herein shown of this invention said gage comprises two valvesand a connecting gage-glass. These valves are substantially alike, eachcomprising a hollow body portion 6, having an externallyscrew-threadedtubular stern 7, adapted to lie within one of the openings 5 of the tankl and make a liquid-tight joint between said tank and the body portion6. The opposite side of the body portion 6 is provided with the tubularstem .8, alined with the stem 7 and screw-threaded to receive thestuffing-box 9. A valve-rod l0 lies within the stems 7 and 8, said rodbeing provided with a valve ll, fixed with relation to said rod andadapted to be seated upon the annular valve-seat 12. fithin thespherical body portion 6 the valve-rod lO is formed triangular incross-section to permit of a flow of liquid between the sides of saidrod and the annular walls of the valveseat 12. The forward portion ofthe rod I() is cylindrical save for a little distance at its extremeforward end, where it is square to receive an operating-handle 13 andscrewthreaded for a nut la to secure said handle in postion. Between thehandle and the stuffing-box 19 the valve-rod l0 is surrounded by acoil-spring l5, the tendency of which is to hold the valve ll firmlyupon its seat l2. The extreme rear end of the rod is provided with atransverse groove 16 to receive the blade of a screw-driver. The bodyportion 6 of each of the valves is provided with a tubular stein 17,communicating with the interior of said body portion, which stem has astuifing-box 18 to make a liquid-tight connection with the end of agage-glass 19 in a well-known manner. This stem is also provided with abracket 20, having' two openings 2l to receive the guard-rods 22 for theglass. The lower side of the body portion (5 of the lower valve isprovided with a screw-threaded opening' 23, adapted to receive apet-cock 24. of ordinary construction having communication with theinterior of said body portion, by means of which pet-cock the interiorof thebody portion oi' the lower valve and the gage-glass may bedrained.

In operation the gage is secured to the side of a tank, as is clearlyshown in the drawings. Liquid is supplied to the tank in any suitablemanner, and when the gage is to be operated to determine the height towhich the liquid has risen in said tank the handle 13 of each valve ispressed inwardly, pushing` the valve 11 from the seat 12 and openingcornrnunication betweenthe interior of the body portion 6 of each oi'said valves and the tank 1. Liquid liowing into the body portion 6 ofthe lower valve rises within the gage-glass 19 to a level with thesurface or' the body of liquid in the tank. I/Vhen the pressure upon thehandles 13 is removed, the coil-springs 15 cause the valves 11 to resumetheir seats, cutting off communication between the interior of the gageand the liquid within the tank. If it is desirable, the liquid withinthe gage may be drawn out by opening the pet-cock 24C, or said liquidmay stand in the glass until another reading, when said liquid willeither rise or fall to the changed level assumed by the body of theliquid in the tank.

I have arranged the valves 11 to open inwardly of the tank 1, so thatshould the coilsprings 15 at any time become ineiective the pressureexisting within said tank will force said valves against their seats,and thus automatically cut olf the accidental escape of the contents ofthe tank.

The device herein illustrated and described is susceptible of manymodifications in the form and arrangement of its parts without departingfrom the spirit and scope of my invention. Therefore I do not limitmyself to the particular construction herein set forth.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a liquid-gage, in combination, a bodyportion having a valve-seat; a gage-glass; a valve-rod having a valveadapted to be seated upon said valve-seat, said valve-rod for a portionof its length being of a cross-section other than round to permit theflow of liquid around it; and a spring always active and tending toslide said valve-rod to hold the valve seated.

2. In a liquid-gage, in combination, a body portion having a valve-seat;a gage-glass extending upwardly i'rom said body portion; alongitudinally slidable valve-rod having a valve adapted to be seatedupon said valveseat, said valve-rod for a portion of its length being ofa cross-section other than round to permit the iiow of liquid around it;a spring always active and tending' to slide said valverod in adirection to seat said valve; and a cock for draining said body portion.

CHARLES A. HARVEY.

Witnesses:

L. L. MILLER, GEORGE L. CHINDAHL.

